"The Hispanic market is here to stay," said the partner in Culture Strategies, Austin, Texas, during a workshop titled El Enfante in Your Isles: What You Need to Understand About America's Largest Minority. "There's no one way that you can market to them, that [image-nocss] you can sell to them in the same way" as the general population.
"It's not putting on a hat and talking in Spanish," he added. "It's understanding their culture."
Noting that Hispanic consumers wield $1 trillion in spending power in the United States, Tornoe offered these suggestions to reach that consumer.
Acknowledge the importance of family. "We do everything for our families," Tornoe said. "That doesn't mean every commercial has to include a 'family' message, just acknowledge it where it makes sense."
Note the importance of food. "We spend more per household than the general market [on food], and grocery shopping is an event. We dress up; we bring the kids. You need to be aware of this."
Realize that most Hispanic new Americans embrace U.S. products. Not everything needs to be a reminder of "home." "Hispanics know U.S. brands. They're exposed to them on U.S. network TV," Tornoe said. "And when they come to the United States, they're excited to be able to buy those brands, and now they have the money. It's aspirational."
On the other hand, recognize opportunities of "retro-acculturation." While most Hispanics take steps to assimilate into the U.S. culture and embrace its products, "there are many products in your business [for example, tobacco] that come from the Dominican Republic, come from Nicaragua. If you can send that message, you can gain some traction with those consumers.... It's like a little piece of home."
Go bilingual. "This is definitely the time to be reaching out to Hispanics. They're the largest minority in the U.S., and they're going to continue to grow," Tornoe said. He added a caveat, however: "The Hispanic message should be very straight Sapnish, unless you know of a dominant population in your market." As an example, he pointed toward Cubans in Miami or Mexicans in Los Angeles.
Use your Hispanic employees. If you have employees who can speak fluent Spanish, "train them to know everything about the products you sell," Tornoe said. If they can explain a product to an unsure consumer, you've just earned a customer for life. (See related story on the NATO tobacco legislative update in this issue of CSP Daily News).
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